Education unions warn of protests and strikes if pay demand not met

Education unions want higher pay. If the Cabinet fails to meet their wage demands by Friday, unions warn of potential protests and strikes following the summer break, NU.nl reported on Friday

The unions are pushing for a 12% salary increase for teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders. The Cabinet has offered a 5% wage increase, but unions argued this does not adequately compensate for the current inflation rate. The deadline for the government to meet the demands set by the education unions expires on Friday.

According to the unions, the educational staff is grappling with the impacts of high inflation. In addition to that, the sector has been under significant strain for a long time due to an ongoing shortage of teachers, leading to a continual decline in education quality. Unions said they believe that the problem will only exacerbate if salaries do not keep up,

"Investing in good wage development is the basis of educational quality," stressed CNV Onderwijs president Daniëlle Woestenberg.

Primary school teachers and staff received an average pay increase of 10% last year, putting them on par with secondary school teachers. This closed a longstanding pay disparity between primary and secondary teachers.